Looking for guidance from Washington

Welcome! I'm new as well, and you've come to the right place. Everyone here is extremely helpful and answers all questions. I may not know much about tri (yet), but I do know a lot about nutrition!

As far as the diet program.... I recommend Weight Watchers (or some variant). I have lost twenty pounds already and feel fabulous. The main thing in weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. Sounds easy, right? Ha! Well, with training for a tri, you are definitely burning a lot of calories. Now you just need to eat the right fuels to keep you going.

Make sure to eat lots of fruits and veggies every day. This sounds hard at first, and it is. I've gotten into the habit of throwing a half a bag of frozen veggies into the steamer right when I get home from work. That way about twenty minutes later I have a healthy snack and I get plenty of veggies.

The main thing is to make healthier choices. If you have to eat fast food, go to Subway and get a low fat sub. If you really want a dessert, go for it! Just have a smaller portion size..... which leads me to my next point.....

Watch portion sizes! Measure or weigh everything. Make sure you know what 4 oz. of chicken looks like, or 1 cup of rice.

Drink water!

Okay, that's enough out of me. Good luck, and ask lots of questions, it's the only way we learn!

Welcome to the site.  Where in WA are you from?

the Spokane area

Welcome to the site. I am in the exact same boat as you and I have found this site a great resource for information as well as inspiration. I am doing the couch to 5k and hope to be able to run my first 5k in October. Good luck with your training and don't give up.